Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Discussion of the interpretation of the word of Allah, the Exalted: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ (O you who believe! Do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan — verily, he commands the shameful and the reprehensible.)

   Allah, exalted be His mention, says to those who believe in Him: O you who believe in Allah and His Prophet ﷺ, do not tread the path of Satan and his ways, and do not follow his traces by spreading the abomination among the believers and broadcasting it among them and passing it on from the one who brought it — for Satan commands the shameful (al-fāhisha), which is fornication (zinā), and the reprehensible (al-munkar) in speech.

   We have already explained earlier the meaning of al-khuṭuwāt (the footsteps) and al-fāhisha, together with the proofs thereof, in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat here.

   Discussion of the interpretation of the word of Allah, the Exalted: وَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would ever have been purified. But Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.)

   Allah, exalted be His mention, says: And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you, O people, and His mercy for you — then not one of you could ever have cast off the impurity of his sins and his polytheism; but Allah purifies whom He wills of His creation.

   In accordance with what we have said concerning this, the scholars of interpretation also spoke.

   *Mention of those who said this:

   ʿAlī related to me, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning وَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا : "He says: not one of the created beings would have been guided to any good by which he might benefit himself, nor would he have guarded himself against any evil that he might ward off from himself."

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning وَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا : "Mā zakā means: not one would have accepted Islam." And he said: "Every word in the Qurʾān of zakā or tazakkā means Islam."

   And His words: وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ("and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing"): Allah, exalted be His mention, says: Allah hears what you say with your mouths and utter with your tongues, and other things of your conversations — All-Knowing of all this and of other of your affairs, encompassing all of it and recording it against you, so that He may requite you for each of it.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ يقول تعالى ذكره للمؤمنين به: يا أيها الذين صدّقوا الله ورسوله، لا تسلكوا سبيل الشيطان وطرقه، ولا تقتفوا آثاره، بإشاعتكم الفاحشة في الذين آمنوا وإذاعتكموها فيهم وروايتكم ذلك عمن جاء به، فإن الشيطان يأمر بالفحشاء، وهي الزنا، والمنكر من القول. وقد بَيَّنَّا معنى الخطوات والفحشاء فيما مضى بشواهده، ذلك بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع. القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ يقول تعالى ذكره: ولولا فضل الله عليكم أيها الناس ورحمته لكم، ما تَطَهَّر منكم من أحد أبدا من دنس ذنوبه وشركه، ولكن الله يطهرُ من يشاء من خلقه. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. *ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني عليّ، قال: ثنا عبد الله، قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله: ( وَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا ) يقول: ما اهتدى منكم من الخلائق لشيء من الخير ينفع به نفسه، ولم يتق شيئا من الشرّ يدفعه عن نفسه. حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: قال ابن زيد، في قوله: ( وَلَوْلا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا ) قال: ما زكى: ما أسلم ، وقال: كلّ شيء في القرآن من زكى أو تَزكى، فهو الإسلام. وقوله: ( وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ) يقول: والله سميع لما تقولون بأفواهكم، وتَلَقَّوْنه بألسنتكم، وغير ذلك من كلامكم، عليم بذلك كله وبغيره من أموركم، محيط به، محصيه عليكم، ليجازيكم بكل ذلك.